Held by the Bureau International des Expositions every five years, the World Expos play its role as a global gathering of nations seeking solutions for contemporary challenges via universal themes through engaging and immersive activities.It welcomes millions of visitors from around the world, allows countries to build extraordinary pavilions, and contributes to the transformation of the host city for years to come.
In other words, the pavilion act as the representation of the nation to express its identity, vision, and aspiration.Malaysian architect, Ar Serina Hijjas from Hijjas Architects and Planners expressed her gratitude and feeling proud that being able to represent Malaysia to showcase to the world their projection on the nation towards the future, meanwhile for the second time to be able to make a statement beyond formal Minangkabau appearance since Milan Expo 2016, which was also designed by the same Architect as the winning competition entry.
The Malaysia Pavilion embodied the theme “to connect all that through the synergy of nature” that responded to the Malaysian Green Technology & Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) Pavilion statement “Energizing Today, Tomorrow, Harmony, and Business” and as well as Dubai Expo’s theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.Aiming to balance the energy system, address deforestation and balanced sustainable plantation which have been receiving heavy critique from the public and globally in regard to the nation’s recent activities.
At the beginning of the sharing session, she shared her notion behind this Pavilion was mainly inspired by the Australian Architect Glenn Murcutt, where his works are mainly sensitively adaptive to the location and touching the ground lightly.While they were given a small linear site, his philosophy has driven them to make a powerful statement that offers significant impact in contrast to its formthat is one of the smallest pavilions in the World Expo site.
Looking retrospectively at the past, the local community has commonly practised impermanence and touching the ground lightly by building on stilts with timber through the “assembled-dissembled” method, commonly known as “Ushang Rumah”. Coincidentally the act of assembled-dissembled is common in the architecture field too. Hence Serina opined that there’s a meticulous relationship between these two and it’s worthwhile to ponder upon.
In terms of exhibition planning, the team decided to opt for exploration going beyond the conventional black volume containing the exhibits by stacking smaller volumes with landscapes. The result was an organic outcome.
The narrative is formulated into 5 elevated tree canopy-like exhibition spaces interconnected with a meandering river-like path from ground to a higher plateau and return to the departure point, with slender steel columns pierced and attached around the “canopies”.Externally, the composition of elevated volumes attached with spot-illuminated vertical elements allows the visual permeability from afar, symbolizing a rainforest with fireflies, which has greatly offset its geological disadvantages.
A series of exhibitions were curated more creatively and dynamically, kudos to the sponsorship that materialized it.One of the key exhibitions was towards the end of the journey, themed “Quintessence”, which was brought about by Petronas.Having a giant suspended cube in the middle of the exhibition space, it plays a 3D animated effect presentation on the national energy company’s sustainability journey: how it ventures into new energy and innovative solutions.
In addition, Dubai 2020 was the first expo that required a complete sustainable report from every pavilion built.Every pavilion including Malaysia has showcased its best effort in executing a sustainability approach to achieve net-zero energy throughout the life-cycle of the pavilion.
Overall the pavilion offers a refreshing journey to the visitors and its contents instil awareness of sustainability to the visitors.The employed low embodied energy built materials and roof solar panels have spoken the pavilion’s sustainability loudly.
Lastly, Serina hoped to witness more sustainable solutions in the upcoming Expo.
